- Riley Keough and Sam Claflin star as Daisy and Billy in Amazon's new series "Daisy Jones & The Six."
- The actors opened up to Insider about their characters' chemistry and whether they believe in soulmates.
The palpable tension between Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne is the heart of "Daisy Jones & The Six" — both the show and its titular band.
Amazon's adaptation of the bestselling novel follows a group of musicians in the '70s, who were torn apart by love and heartbreak. Author Taylor Jenkins Reid has said the story was partially inspired by Fleetwood Mac.
Riley Keough and Sam Claflin costar as Daisy and Billy, passionate yet tortured musicians who share a gift for songwriting, an undeniable attraction to each other, and a life-threatening addiction to drugs and alcohol. They're joined by four bandmates: keyboardist Karen (Suki Waterhouse), guitarist Graham (Will Harrison), drummer Warren (Sebastian Chacon), and bassist Eddie (Josh Whitehouse).
Insider spoke with Keough and Claflin about their characters' chemistry and Billy's relationship with his wife Camila (Camila Morrone), which inevitably becomes more complicated when Daisy arrives.
Warning: If you haven't read the book and want to watch the show with fresh eyes, now's the time to turn back.
When asked if Billy and Daisy are meant to be, Claflin replied, "I don't know, I kind of went back and forth."
"I'm as confused as Billy was, honestly," he said. "I loved both women for different reasons and I think both were good for him for different reasons."
Keough, who was seated next to Claflin, cut in: "But in real life, did you like me or Cami better?"
Without missing a beat, Claflin joked: "I preferred Suki. I think Billy would've left for Karen, cause more drama."
After they shared a laugh, Keough revealed her own perspective on Billy and Daisy's destiny.
"I didn't think they should end up together," she said. "Maybe I've had my fair share of toxic relationships but I didn't see, in that moment of their lives, a happy ending for them. I thought he should stay with Camila."
@insiderlife Soulmates and love triangles: Sam Claflin and Riley Keough spill the tea on @daisyjonesandthesix. #insiderlife #daisyjonesandthesix #movies #celebs ♬ original sound - Insider Life
Both actors said they believe that soulmates exist. "One hundred percent," Claflin said. "Totally," Keough nodded.
However, they agreed that a "soulmate" doesn't always equate to a spouse or lifelong partner.
"We meet all sorts of people at different times in our lives and 'soulmates' doesn't necessarily mean you're with that person for the rest of your life, but they leave a mark — be that positive or negative," Claflin explained. "Timing is everything."
"You can have more than one soulmate and there's different versions of that," Keough added. "There's the version that you marry and there's the version that's the Daisy version. I think they're really deep connections with other people."
"Daisy Jones & The Six" is structured as a pseudo-documentary. Many characters appear as older versions of themselves in interview clips, revisiting their past actions with present-day eyes.
Similarly, the book is structured as an oral history, the story relayed entirely through quotes.
At one point near the end, Billy explains the fraught love triangle between himself, Daisy, and Camila as a battle between fire and water.
"Passion is... it's fire. And fire is great, man," he tells the interviewer. "But we're made of water. Water is how we keep living. Water is what we need to survive. My family was my water."
"That's beautiful," Keough said of the quote. "That gave me chills."
"Daisy Jones & The Six" is available to stream on Amazon Prime. Follow along with our coverage here.